Music library

Whereas Game-Maker provided powerful, well-designed utilities for drawing, defining, and organizing graphical elements — tiles, sprites, maps — the sound side of things was always kind of a shrug. Sound Blaster support only came around with the software's 2.0 release, and the formats it supported were... curious. Any digital samples had to be in .VOC format, and any music in the very peculiar .CMF. Whereas even now it is possible to find audio applications that support .VOC, there never really were any popular sequencers or conversion utilities for .CMF.

So what you’ll often find is Game-Maker games with original, brilliant visuals and subversive design that borrow most of their sounds and all of their music from the demo libraries, or even from other Game-Maker games. If the original author complained, the derivative author would issue an update and give him a credit. It was a different era.

Game-Maker came with a limited set of stock pieces, which tend to populate most games. Designers also got clever, tracking down .CMF files on bulletin boards and hacking existing commercial or shareware games -- especially early Epic Megagames releases -- for their music. Most users built up a small personal library to plug in the way a film editor uses temp tracks. If Game-Maker were ever to support a better format, or come with a custom music editor, then those temp tracks would go in the dump. Except none of that ever happened.

Stock tracks

GMSONG1.CMF

Sort of the Super Mario Bros. overworld theme or Green Hill Zone theme of the Game-Maker world. Used in nearly every Game-Maker game in some form, often in the first level or primary area.

Known uses:

• Sample (Overworld)
• Nebula (Titles, Star map)
• Penguin Pete (Overworld, Maze 6)
• Tutor (Level 2)
• Glubada Pond (Levels 1 & 2)
• Peach the Lobster (Menu)
• The Patchwork Heart (Level 3)
• A-J's Quest (Level 1)

GMSONG2.CMF

A traipsing, bucolic theme often used for laid-back, period, or natural settings. After GMSONG1, probably the most common theme.

(There is no GMSONG3 and, at least for public use, there never was.)

Known uses

• Nebula (Blue planet)
• Penguin Pete (Mazes 1 & 2, Last stage)
• Houses (Hero map)
• Clyde & Zeke (Main level)
• Glubada Pond (Level 4 & 5)
• The Patchwork Heart (Ending)

GMSONG4.CMF

Otherwise known as the Jaws track. It's not literally the theme from the movie, but it evokes a similar feeling. Used for dark and sinister moments. The bit where it switches to a childlike melody is especially unnerving.

Known uses

• Pipemare (Level 1)
• Penguin Pete (Maze 3, Underwater)
• Tutor (Level 3)
• Houses (Ending)
• Glubada Pond (Level 4)
• The Patchwork Heart (Level 1)

GMSONG5.CMF

A track suggesting wonder and adventure; a wide-eyed journey into the unknown. Sometimes there's danger. Sometimes there are concepts and technologies beyond your understanding. Sometimes it's thrilling. Sometimes a little overwhelming.

Known uses

• Pipemare (Level 2)
• Penguin Pete (Maze 4)
• Tutor (Level 1)
• Houses (Biker map)
• Glubada Pond (Level 6)
• The Patchwork Heart (Level 5)

GMSONG6.CMF

An arrangement of "Beer Barrel Polka", often used sort of interchangeably with GMSONG2. Also used for droll, sardonic, or otherwise strange moments.

Known uses

• Sample (Menu)
• Penguin Pete (Maze 5, Final area)
• Houses (Heroine map)
• Zark (Ending)

GMOPENIN.CMF / GM_OPENI.CMF

A brief fanfare heard at the start of many games. Its main problem is that it immediately repeats, creating a maddening DVD menu effect if you allow it to sit too long on one element.

Known uses

• Sample (Ending)
• Pipemare (Ending)
• Nebula (Ending)
• Penguin Pete (Menu, Ending)
• Houses (Menu)
• Terrain (Menu)
• Glubada Pond (Ending)
• The Patchwork Heart (Menu)

GMZARDOZ.CMF

A theme that begins with the famous GMOPENIN fanfare, and then transitions into a dark, contemplative, medium-tempo yet driving traveling music. Calls to mind dungeon exploration with a mission.

Known uses

• TBC

GMDARKMO.CMF

Another dark, contemplative piece. A bit mechanical-sounding. Often used for moments involving concentration, focus, or determination. When this music appears, that's when things get serious.

Known uses

• TBC

GMRAILRO.CMF

A moody minor-key piece with percussive, driving piano. Tense, a bit mournful, and old-fashioned sounding.

Known uses

• TBC

GMMOONLT.CMF

An arrangement of Bethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14, aka The Moonlight Sonata. Often used for water levels, for some reason. Also distinguished as one of the few stock tracks not to contain an awkward loop within the first two minutes. A player might finish a whole level before the track finishes.

Known uses

• TBC

Other tracks

• GMABOUT.CMF (?)
• NEBULAC.CMF (?)
• GMDEMO1.CMF (a series of sound effects)
• GMSTARFM.CMF (?) x2
• GMLOST.CMF (?) x2
• GMDOINGY.CMF (?)
• GMISLAND.CMF (?)
• GMEND.CMF (?)
• GENTLE.CMF (?)
• BETRAY.CMF (?)
• SPOOKY.CMF (?) x2
• LAZER.CMF (?)
• BIRDS.CMF (?)
• RUNNING.CMF (?)
• GHOSTHOP.CMF (?)
• GHOSTRUN.CMF (?)
• EGYPTION.CMF [sic] (?) x2
• MECH.CMF (?)
• METLSCAL.CMF (?)
• STRIDER.CMF (?)
• SAGAIA.CMF (?)
• GLUBCRD.CMF (?)
• AJTHEME.CMF (By A-J Games; a poorly converted fanfare, originating as a .MOD file)
• LARS.CMF (By A-J Games; a noisy conversion of a .MOD file to a .MID to a .CMF)

Links

• The .CMF file format